11 Facts about Dhawal Kulkarni - The Limited Overs Specialist

Dhawal Kulkarni made his debut at the age of 16 in the Vijay Merchant tournament, the medium-paced bowler has been welcoming applause for his fatal bowling style, particularly apt for limited overs cricket. Kulkarni has had a roller-coaster career, with ups-and-downs, the Mumbai cricketer will be hopeful to flourish in team India, with a long journey still upfront.

Here are some interesting facts about Dhawal Kulkarni:

1. Birth:

Dhawal Kulkarni was born on 10^th of December, in the year 1988 at Mumbai.

2. Major teams:

Since being on the pitch, Dhawal Kulkarni has represented Indian national team, India A, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.

3. The first limelight:

Dhawal Kulkarni enjoyed the first came into limelight when he represented Mumbai in Vijay Merchant Trophy for U17s.

4. Call-up for India U19 team:

His sheer willpower and skills got recognition when he made his debut for India U19 against Sri Lanka in 2007. He earned the much-deserved breakthrough after scintillating performances in domestic first-class matches.

5. Extending the fine form:

In Sri Lanka, he had a tremendous tour, which aided his preferment into the Mumbai Ranji squad. He was selected the best bowler in the Ranji campaign after grossing 42 wickets in the season.

6. A squad player:

On the back of consistent performances in domestic cricket, he made it into Indian Test team for the New Zealand tour but did not make his debut.

7. Mumbai Indians and Sachin Tendulkar:

Joining Mumbai Indians in 2008 was the turning point of his career, during a span of 6 year’s association with Mumbai Indians; Dhawal Kulkarni played the backbone of their bowling, picking 42 wickets from 41 games. He once acknowledged that sharing dressing room with master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was the favourite moment of his cricketing life.

8. ODI debut:

Dhawal made his ODI debut in Edgbaston on 2^nd September 2014 against England. He enjoyed ending up on the winning side, although he was not honoured with a wicket for his hard work. Since then, he has represented Indian national team eight times, picking 13 wickets.

9. Rajasthan Royals:

In the IPL auction for the 2014 season, Kulkarni was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 1,10,00,000 ending his 6-year relationship with the Mumbai Indians.

10. Rampant against Sri Lanka

He destroyed the Sri Lankan batting line-up on 13 November 2014 at Kolkata after his prolific 10 overs earned him 4 wickets, against 34 runs. However, Rohit Sharma’s emphatic 264 runs in the same match marooned his performance.

11. Life partner:

Dhawal Kulkarni was engaged to his friend Shraddha Kharpude in July 2015.

Written by Gautam Sudev